1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cremation urn and, more particularly, to an improvement in the design of the urn to enable efficient packaging for shipping and storage of urns prior to use.
2. Background Art
As burial costs continue to rise and land for burial plots becomes more of a premium, an alternative to the traditional Judeo-Christian burial method is beginning to gain popularity. Cremations are on the rise around the world. In the United States, cremations have risen from less than 4% in the 1950s to over 40% in the 2010s. On average, cremations are less costly than traditional casket burial methods and may be more convenient. Cremations require less preparation on the part of the funeral director to ready the body for a wake ceremony and subsequent burial in the ground or mausoleum.
Presently, temporary cremation urns are used to house the remains of a cremated body while a permanent urn or other solution for the remains are identified. Temporary urns need to be capable of storing and protecting cremated remains from water and other elements. Urns include a lid that may be used to seal a top opening of an urn to prevent the cremated remains from spilling if the urn is knocked over on its side. Temporary urns are typically manufactured of a plastic composite, such as polypropylene and the like, are very light in weight and capable of withstanding moisture. Although the urn may be temporary, it is so in name alone. The urn must be capable of safely and securely storing cremated remains for a period of a few days to several months to an eternity.
With the popularity of cremations ever increasing, there is a rising need for temporary urns. The present design of the temporary urn is such that it is only capable of being stacked during shipment and storage. The outside dimensions of a typical temporary urn are approximately 8.5 inches in height, 6.5 inches in width and 4.5 inches deep. Urns may be shipped to crematories in standard corrugated cardboard boxes. The typical dimensions of a shipping box may be approximately 18 inches in height, 26 inches in width and 20 inches in depth. A shipping box of that size may house 36 temporary urns stacked two high within the box. While an urn is relatively light in weight at 0.75 pounds, the urn displaces approximately 250 cubic inches of volume. Shipping a box of 36 temporary urns displaces over 9,000 cubic inches or over 5.4 cubic feet of volume and weighs approximately 28 pounds.
Shipping and delivery companies often find that shipping boxes having these dimensions and weight is difficult to handle due to the rather large size and awkward dimensions of the shipping boxes. As a consequence, the cost of shipping temporary urns in boxes of this size may be quite high and erode business profits. Of course smaller boxes may be used to ship smaller quantities of temporary urns, but more shipments would be required, thus still driving up costs. Furthermore, crematories also face the added cost of storing the temporary urns at their place of business. Therefore, a need exists for a cremation urn that is configured to be stackable and nestable, yet maintain a similar volume to prior art urns, to facilitate easier and ultimately less costly shipping and storage of urns for those offering cremation and funeral services.